Needle-guide for sewing-machines.



F. N. LA OHAPBLLB. NEEDLE GUIDE r03 SEWING MAOHINES.

APPLIOATIOH PILQD JULY 23, 1910.

Patented July 8,1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED N. LA CHAPELLE, OF BEVERLY;

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To U ITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION. OF NEW JERSEY.

NEEDLE-GUIDE FOR SEWIN G-MACHIN ES.

Patented July 8,

Application filed July 23, 1910. Serial No. 573,866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED N. LA CI-IAPELLE, a citizen of the United Statesfresidiug at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle-Guides for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which means whereby the it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a needleguide groove cutter for sewing machines.

The object of my invention is toprovide bur raised by the awl used in the perforation of the work may be cut down and the sunk into a channel or groove cut in the work. After the awl has been thrust through and withdrawn from the work it leaves upon the side opposite that entered by the awl a bur or raised edgepushed up about the mouth of the awl hole. When the thread is drawn through the hole, this raised bur or edge is engaged by the thread, and the thread is pulled across this bur and by the tension of the thread the bur is cut into and pulled down in the setting of the stitch,- the result being that the thread will sometimes more easilybe drawn down through the bur offer to the thread as thread is and the lock of the stitch will thus be placed at different depths from the surface of the work, depending upon the relative resistance which the burs about the several awl holes they are drawn down by it. v

This invention contemplates means associated with the needle-guide whereby this raised hur may be cut down before the drawn through the hole to setthe stitch, and the lock of every stitch set at a uniforn'rdistance from the surface of the work.

After the outsole has been sewed to the welt in a Goodyear welt shoe. the channel fiap of the outsole is turned down to close the channel and cover the stitches, in the finishing operation thev sole being buffed to secure a smooth sole surface. As usually sen 1d, the stitch projects a. little from the nel flap is turned down and bobbin thread may be An object of my inventioni's so to set the stitch into the work at bottom of the outsole channel, that the channel flap may he turned down and buffed without being weakened by the stitch projecting under the flap. This I attain by the use of my improved needle guide groove cutter, which cuts away the awl bur thus allowing the stitch to be set more easily into outsole leather, and in addition to cutting away the awl bur, the cutting edges cut into or indent the leather at the side of the awl hole thus forming a con tinuous groove of a predetermined depth into which the bobbin thread is sunk. below the bottom of the outsole channel. I

Anotherobject of my invention is to so place-the cutting edges that the groove cut by them shall closely follow the line of the awl holes wh of stitches.

A still further object of my invention is to so arrange my groove cutting edge that it will engage the work only-when the work is held by the needle and so prevent its drag on the work as the work is fed through the machine and also prevent the wearing of the cutting edge by the dragging of the work over it.

, With the above objects in view, the-present invention consists in the needle-guide groove cutter for sewing machines hereinafter described, as defined in the claims.

The preferred form of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a side elevation showing the needle and the needle-guide mechanism;

.Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the camoperated lever arms to actuate the needle guide; Figs. 3 and 4 are side and front views respectively of the needle, its guide, and the groove cutter, the work being shown in cross sectiongFigs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a top view and a cross section of the work in which the stitches are being taken- The preferred form of the invention illustrated as applied to a shoe-stitching inachine of the type commonly known as the Goodyear rapid oumole chine being substantially illustrated in the patent to French and Meyer, No. 473,870, dated April 26, 1892, although it is to be understood that the said invention is equally applicable to, other types of sewing machines.

stitcher, said ma- In the drawings, 1 indicates the driving shaft, 2, the camoporated lever arm'for actusting the needle segment 3 which bears the curved hooked needle igand 5 indicates the i a ther description work support through which the hooked needle passes, these parts being substantially arranged as set forth in the above-mentioned patent to French and Meyer, and hence furthereof is. considered unnecessary and only such detailed descrip- -tion as necessarily relates to the invention contemplated will be given.

About the bearing stud 6 rigidly fixed to the machine frame, is pivoted a sleeve 7 said sleevebeing integral with the lever arm 8,

'which'is thus pivoted about the fixed stud,

and which bears upon its upper end a cam lever 8, Over the sleeve .in relative by meanso roller 9 which runs in a cam groove 10 cut -into the right-hand side (looking from the Upon one end of the sleeve 12 is formed,

' screw threaded;

F the engagement integrally, a lug 15 which is perforated and v and holds an adjusting screw 16 which bears against and compresses a spiral compression spring 17 the other end of this spiral compression spring being held by apin 18 which engages in a recessed lug the lever arm 8. Upon the lever arm 8 is formed ashoulder 20 against which strikes a lug 21 integral with the sleeve 12,

of these lugs limiting the -turning of the sleeve 12 about the sleeve 7 and holding the spring 17 under sion,-andiwhen the lever arm 8 (in Fig. 1) is moved to the left, the engagement of these lugs serves as a positive means for lifting the lever arm 22 which'is formed integral with the end of the sleeve 12.

Upon the-end of the lever arm 22 is a segmental gear 23 which meshes with a pinion 24 fixed to a shaft, the other end of which bears a pinion meshing with the segmental gear 25 upon the needle guide segment 26. This arrangement of gearing between the segmental gear 23 and the needle guide segcompresment 26, is substantially that set forth in the above-mentioned French and Meyer patent except that the pinion 24 is rigidly secured gearing.

A guide segm 1 cutting edges to ts shaft, since ;in' my unproved'mechanism considerably more strain is put on this Removably. fixed to the'front ofthe needle ent asses. The'lower end of this needle guide is formed with two cutting edges 28, these being formed 'upon opposite sides of the needle receivingjguide perfora- 'tion andwi-thin- -a vertical p lane whi'ch ex- 26 is a needle guide 27- through which the curved hooked needle 4 moved. Directly behind the cutting edges 28 is formed a stop shoulder 29which bears against the surface of the work and so limits the depth to whicht-he edges 28 may cut.

cutter will be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. 1, 3, and 1', of the drawings. After the awl has been withdrawn from the work, the needle descends an asses through the awl hole, the needle'guide ting edges 28 striking the work on either side of the needle, thus cutting downthe raised bur left by the awl. The needleuide 'is thrown down by the movement o vthe lever arm 8 in Fig.1 tomovement of the lever arm 8 compresses the spiral spring 17 and moves the lever arm 22 downwardly the motion being transmitted through the train ,of gearing 23, 24, and 2 5 to the needle guide segment 26. After the groove cutter has engaged .the work the spring 17 insures a uniform pressure of the groove cutter upon the-work, the depth of the out being governed by the shoulder 2' pressure of the needle-guidelg'roove. cutter upon the workmay be regulated by'adjust ing the tension ofthe spring 17 by means of. the screw 16. The spring-:17 allows the needle guide groove cutter to-accommodate itself to work of different thickness,.and if there bea hard spot in the work'into which the cutting-edges are not able to" cut, the spring allows no abnormal strain on the machine. 'When of the lever arm 8 to the right, the shoulder 20 striking against the lug 21 causes a. osi tive lift of the upward movement of the needle guide-2' The needle guide is thus pressed down wardly with spring pressure, but is given a positive upwardmovement Thev cutters,. descending upon either-side of the awl hole, -cut down the bur and-in: dent the leather uniformly at each and hence when the stitch is drawn, the-lock, as shown at 30 in Fig. 6, is always set-a uniform distance from the surface of the work, andthe bobbin thread drawn into the tits depth determined by theiprojection of the cutting edges 28 beyond the stop shoulder 29. The two cutting edg upon opposite sides and 'closetotff needle shank, allow the work to pivot. about the needle and hence the cutters closely follow theiawl holes when sewing asha'rply curved 'line of stitches as at the toe of a'-shoe, a

when the groove cutting edges were formed 1 upon a presser foot. By dividing my groove tends in the same direction as the work is The operation of the needle-guide groove ollowing the needle downward and the cutpressing upon the's'urface of the work. The? l the cutter to yield and place the needle guide' is raised by the movement lever 22 and hence a positive awl hole groove 31 thus being itself'set into the work result which it was impossible to obta n -cluding a hook needle,

cutting edge into two parts and placing these two cutting edges one in either side and in close proximity to the needle, I secure the closest possible following of the cutgroove upon the line of the awl holes. The

cutting edges descend only when the work is held by the needle and hence there is no drag of the cutting edges against'the work to interfere with the free feeding of the work through the machine, and moreover the cutting edges are not dulled by the dragging of the work across them since the only time the cutting edge comes into engage- .ment with the work is on its chisel-like downward cutting stroke.

\Vhat is claimed isz- 1. A lock stitch sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices inand a needle guide having a cutting edge for forming a stitch receiving groove in the Work, substantially described.

2. A look stitch sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a hook needle, and a needle guide receiving groove in the work and a limiting shoulder termine the depth of the groove, tially as described.

3. A look stitch sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a hook needle, and a needle guide having cutting edges on both sides of its needle receiving perforation for cutting a stitch receivin groove in the Work, substantially as descri ed.

4. A lock stitch sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a hook needle, a needle guide having a cutting edge for forming a stitch receiving groove in the work, and means for pressing the needle guide against the work With a yielding pressure, substantiallyas described.

' FRED N. LA CHAPELLE.

Witnesses:

CHESTER E. Rooms, LAURA M. Goonmnon.

or bearing upon the work to de- Substan- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01 Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

